Friday, November 23, 2007

Now just a couple weeks in and here how a couple teams are doing so far:

New York Yankees ---- Grade: B -

- The Yankees got off to a rocky start after loosing Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez. They were publically ridiculed and many were pulling for a collapse. However, they pulled themselves together and resigned Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez. They may have lost Joe Torre, but signed Joe Girardi, and have the prospects ready to make a run at the playoffs again. They are looking to improve their bullpen, and might pull off a trade for maybe Johan Santana.

Grade Reasoning: The Yankees looked bad early on for low balling Torre and I think that really sticks out. They threw a ton of cash at these aging players to keep them from leaving and it will probably hurt them in the end.

Detroit Tigers ---- A -

- The Tigers filled two needs very early in the off season giving them time to improve on other things. They acquire Edgar Renteria and Jacque Jones, and brought back Todd Jones to be closer. They are working hard to sign Livan Hernandez and are close to bringing back Kenny Rogers. If they continue to improve, I wouldn't be surprised if they pass on the Indians and take the division.

Grade Reasoning: Their two biggest needs were filled before most teams got in offseason mode. They acquired an All-Star shortstop with playoff experience and then got that left handed bat for the outfield for one year for next to nothing. They have money to spend on pitching, and plan to be aggressive for the rest of the off season.

Anaheim Angels ----- B +

- The Angels traded Orlando Cabrera for pitcher Jon Garland which helps their infield, but hurts their infield because Brandon Wood is not quite ready. They are looking to sign David Eckstein, but might trade for Miguel Cabrera, which would shift the whole infield around. When they signed Torii Hunter, they shocked the baseball world. It was a great move on their part, but hopefully they are not done yet. Their catching is weak, and they will probably lose Jeff Mathis in any trade. Michael Barrett would be a great option because he is young and has the potential to hit for power with an average above .300.

Grade Reasoning: All they did by trading for Garland was create another hole. They signed Hunter making their outfield even more crowded but it was a great signing. They can now shift Anderson to play DH and put Matthews in left field. They still other needs in the infield and pitching, so they are not done yet. They still have the edge in the AL West, so any upgrade will be good.

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comments:

u know i think the tigers didnt do a good job this offseason YET they had a good offense last year there big thing was pitching like BP and SP they dont have nearly enough and Hernandaz isnt going to be good enough to push ahead of Clev and even a very aging Rogers wont help

Eli, I always repect your opinion, but let's be real. Cleveland still is the favorite to win the AL Central again. Detroit picked up a very good SS in Renteria, but their best reliever, Joel Zumaya is going to miss alot time, plus Gary Sheffield gets another year older when he has been hurt the last two years. Plus Chicago has only upgraded in their bullpen, they still had alot of issues to deal with. The Indians, meanwhile upgraded their bullpen, possibly, but certainly have not lost anyone and got one more year of experience in the postseason. Can the Indians get better? yes in particular their LF situation, but they still are the favorites to win the AL Central, unless one of the teams beats them.

The Angels are making some definate posturing moves here that indicate they are not done dealing. The signing of Hunter and the trade for Garland signify that they are anticipating moving Reggie Willits and an arm (Santana/Saunders) in another deal. The Cabrera deal is obviously a priority and I would expect that to be completed at the winter meetings. I think that LAA will end up grabbing Cabrera and another playeer, possibly Dan Uggla, to field their new look team for a combination of the currently rumored group. The remains may be packaged for another smaller deal as well.